5xMile Repeats

Goal:
5xmile repeats with 2:30 rest at 5:45 pace and getting faster

Actual:
3 miles warmup
5:36 (2:30)
5:37 (2:30)
5:34 (2:30)
5:37 (3:00)
5:30
2 miles cool down for 11 miles total

Eric and I did this workout on the Dilworth 2 Mile Speed Loop during a delightful North Carolina February afternoon.  The temperatures were in the upper 60s and the sun was shining bright; I couldn't have asked for better weather!  Since we did the 2 mile loop, miles 1 & 3 and 2 & 4 shared the same route.  Mile 5 was a hybrid of the two routes since we had to make it back to our starting point.

We started off a little faster than I had originally planned, but it didn't even feel hard.  On the next interval, there were more gradual uphills so I pressed harder so that I felt like I was actually working.  My time was quite similar to the one prior, even with the uphill!  Unlike all of my other post-marathon workouts, I felt better on each passing interval.  Things were going great.  We took a little bit extra rest after the 4th one because we took a much needed water break at Rebecca's porch.  I really dug deep on the fifth one and could even feel my face contorting a little bit.  Hopefully I never stuck my tongue out because the Dilworth post master would have been scared away.

The best part about this workout is that it's definitely the fastest I've ever run on this course.  Back in September, I could barely muster a 5:38 on this course.  I felt strong and almost 95% normal!  This feeling could have largely been due to the fact that Greenapple worked on me for over an hour last night, helping to loosen up parts of my body that are fighting hard against me.

Oh, and remember how Eric dropped me on my workout on Wednesday?   I dropped him on this workout.

5 Mile Wave Tempo

Goal:
5 Mile Tempo alternating every 800m pace between 2:50-2:53 and 3:05-3:07

Actual:
2.25 miles warmup
2:55 (on)
3:03 (off)
2:52
3:04
2:51
3:07
3:00 (fell asleep)
3:04
2:53
3:04 (29:53 for 5 miles)
2.75 miles cool down for 10 miles total

Wave workouts never cease to amaze me in their difficulty to complete.  They are mentally consuming, physically taxing, and aerobically challenging.  It's the hard workouts that make us stronger, right?

Spada, Eric and I all planned to meet at the Freedom Park Tennis Courts at 6AM.  This meant that Spada and I would actually meet somewhere halfway on the Sugar Creek Greenway since we both left our respective stations at 5:40.  By the time we united with Eric, it was time to get the show on the road.

We started at the East Blvd Entrance to Freedom Park, did a loop and a half around the Freedom Lake, and continued our way to the other end of the Greenway.  We started off a little slow on the first 800m "on," but that was to be expected since it's hard to get the legs rolling immediately when it's so early in the morning.  After the second "on" 800m, I knew this was going to be a tough one for me.  My breathing was already labored and my form felt sloppy.

I was really grateful for the company of Spada and Eric because I really just wanted to stop and catch my breath, but that wasn't an option with them around.  On the fourth one, Eric bolted ahead, and Spada went with him. I heard Eric ask Spada something, but I didn't quite catch what he said.  They rolled about 10-20 meters ahead of me, but pulled back to come get me on the easier segment.  Spada happily told me that Eric had asked Spada: "Did we drop her?"  Well, yes, they had dropped me, because I dropped a bomb of a split on that one.  If it had been light out, I'm sure I would have seen Eric blush in embarrassment, and he immediately stuttered something in an attempt to cover his bases and to not insult me.  Fortunately, I have thick skin and I told him not to worry about it.  In my mind, I was thinking: "Don't worry, I'm going to drop your a$$ in the next workout."  I smiled to myself.

Fortunately, I was able to bring things back into respective digits for the final hard segment, and then we called it a day.  I continued on my way on the greenway back to my house, grateful that was over.  Things are slowly coming together and I'm really enjoying this training.  My left hip flexor is still tight, but definitely manageable.  Looking forward to mile repeats on Friday.

(Engagement) Week in Review

~77 miles
2 Workouts
2 Doubles
16 Mile long run
2 Lifting Sessions
1 Engagement

This week was simply perfect.  I hit all of my workouts - 8 mile progression and 7x1000m repeats - and I got to see my boyfriend...er, fiancee!  Since we all know how much I love my cat Cicero, it was only fitting that Garrett would incorporate my kitty into the proposal.  On the way back from my Lululemon run on Saturday morning, he called me to say that he had just given Cicero his Valentine's Day present.  That's cool, I said.  I got home a couple minutes later, and he was holding Cicero (indeed, he was mostly restraining Cicero from sprinting away with the ring).  He told me to look at the collar he got Cicero.  I barely glanced at it because I knew Cicero hates collars.  Then he kept prodding me, telling me to check out the bell that was included.  I was even less interested at that point, because I didn't want to hear Cicero ringing all around the house as he runs up and down the stairs.  Finally, mainly due to Garrett's enthusiasm, I moved in towards the collar to give it a good look, and there was the ring!

Garrett didn't get down on one knee and I didn't bawl my eyes out.  Instead, I just got a little teary eyed and asked if that was his way of proposing.  He said joyfully, YES!  A little while later I think he actually asked to marry me, and I don't even know if I said yes.  He knew the answer already.'

The next two hours were spent calling our family members and close friends.  Then, I finalized this fancy video that I had worked on the night before (yes I had an inkling he would propose this weekend) so that I could tell people in the virtual world.

The engagement weekend was indeed slightly bittersweet because this is Garrett's last weekend in Charlotte before he heads off for Spring Training.  Regardless, in the next seven months while he's gone, I can plan our wedding and train a ton so that I can win as many prize money races as possible to pay for our wedding in Winston-Salem.  Oh - and save the date for December 29th, because that's when we're getting married!

7x1000m Repeats with Josh

Goal:
7x1000m repeats with 2 min jog rest

Actual:
1.8 mile warmup
7x1000m at Dilworth Speed Loop
Split (Rest Time)
3:36 (through half in 2:50) (1:22)
3:34 (through half in 2:50) (1:16)
3:32 (through half in 2:49) (1:28)
3:31 (through half in 2:49) (1:55)
3:30 (through half in 2:48) (1:27)
3:29 (through half in 2:47) (1:56)
3:28 (through half in 2:47
1.8 mile cool down for 9 miles total

pm:  3.5 miles easy with Jason (12.5 miles total)

Since winter is finally making its appearance in the Carolinas, Josh and I opted to perform this workout during our lunch break when it would be a little warmer.  Right now is a perfect time for me to work out with Josh because he's got a goal to break 18 in the 5k, while I've got a goal to get my legs back under me after the marathon.  Really, it's the perfect match.

After a warmup that was just short of two miles, I was already feeling tired.  Feeling tired beforehand is never a good sign, but I brushed aside any thoughts of doubt, determined that I was going to hit my goal times, which were to start at 2:50 through the 800m and to get faster gradually from there.  I knew that my times wouldn't be close to other occasions where I've completed this same workout on the same terrain, but I had to start somewhere.

Josh and I ran through the first one and we both felt relaxed.  We came through right on the target pace, and my legs felt strong.  I made the executive decision to just start the intervals when we got back to the start line, which was a little earlier than our prescribed 2:00 rest.  This was fine though, and when we felt like we needed that extra 30 seconds, we took it.  Towards the last three intervals, my left hip flexor and upper quad felt fatigued, but nothing painful.  I saw Greenapple the night before, so I wasn't surprised that the leg was tiring easily because of the exercises performed.

When I did this workout back in September, I was able to run 3:22s with 2:00 rest.  I was only 6-10 seconds off of those times, with at least 30 seconds less rest this time around.  I'm definitely still a little rusty, but I'm really excited about this workout and how things are coming around.  I've outlined my race schedule for the first half of the year, and the main focus is winning prize money and just having fun! Looking forward to the next couple of weeks!

"Soft" 8 Mile Progression Tempo

Goal:
8 Miles Progression without looking at Splits

Actual:
2-ish warmup
8 miles in 51:14 (6:24 ave) with splits of 653, 614, 621, 628 (u-turn), 624, 618, 619, 617
2-ish cool down

In an attempt to adjust to doing early morning workouts to prepare for the new role that I've accepted at Bank of America, I grudgingly pulled myself out of bed at 5:15AM to prepare for this workout.  I was out the door by 5:30 to meet Dalena, Spada, and Eric on the greenway near Freedom Park.  Somehow, I convinced Dalena to join us in the fun and it was a welcomed addition because I realized that this was the first time I've ever actually worked out with her and I liked her positive spirit.  Regardless, after an uneventful warmup, we started our tempo...very slow.  After a couple of minutes of leading, Spada annoyingly told me to pick up the pace.  That's probably why my fastest split was seen during mile 2...because I was scared of Spada.

The last six miles of the tempo went by just as you would except - at least as normal as any tempo can go when it's still dark out on the streets of Charlotte.  We ran back and forth on the greenway between East Blvd and Brandywine twice.  I didn't feel too labored in the first half, but the second half I did, embarrassingly enough...At least labored enough where I had no desire to expend any precious energy trying to keep the conversation going.

I finished the workout on my own as I continued on the path towards my house while Spada and Eric turned around to head back to Freedom.  I was glad I had the last half mile of the tempo to finish on my own so that I could be left with my own thoughts.  Coming back after a marathon is tough.  It's mentally grueling - even more so than the training leading up to a marathon.  I've been spending the last couple of weeks really trying to keep my spirits up, but it's been really tough for me to do that. I've had this nagging discomfort of weakness in my left hip flexor, and I was freaking out just a little bit that I might have an injury coming on.  Even my right knee started to hurt on Tuesday, and I had quick flashbacks to January 2011 when my left knee hurt due to IT Band issues.  Fortunately, it's been a couple of days since then, and all of that has gone away.  My body must still be in the process of healing itself from the unforgiving concrete in Houston, and I just need to be patient and let it do just that.  And, of course, I need to keep doing all of my prescribed exercises to correct my weakness.  See you in the gym doing good girl/bad girl folks.

Week in Review

65 Miles
2 Workouts
13 mile long run
2 Doubles
2 Lifting Sessions
4 Ab Circuits

I realized this week how much more time I have when running 65 Miles a week.  Don't get me wrong, running 65 miles is an amazing accomplishment for any runner, fast or slow, but of course it's less of a time commitment than 90 miles.  In fact, since I got in two doubles this week, I only had to run 4 miles on Saturday, which left me plenty of time to bake two different types of cupcakes:  chocolate PB and also hostess cupcakes.

In the early part of the week, I spent every minute, that I wasn't at work or on a run, writing the February Charlotte Runner newsletter.  For those of you who may take the newsletter for granted, please don't.  I dedicated at least 30 hours over the past two weeks to transfer the newsletter onto a new software, Apple iPages.  This massive reconstruction meant I had to insert new links, create new layouts, and write more columns.  I also realized that the newsletter would be much more interesting if we recruited some of Charlotte's best writers to be guest columnists.  Between acting as a graphic designer and Editor in Chief, my night schedule was filled through Friday.  Fortunately, as much as I may have just complained, I truly am passionate about this kind of stuff and am excited about the new format.  (Note:  If you aren't happy with the newsletter, then suck it up.  No, just kidding...please send me some feedback).

When I wasn't writing the newsletter and baking cupcakes, I mustered a couple of low key workouts.  I did a 5 mile tempo, purely on effort, on Tuesday and completed 12x1 minute on Friday.  After the Friday workout, I didn't stretch as much as I should have prior to sitting at a desk for the next four hours and I definitely paid for it later.  I had trouble walking around and limped painfully through the parking garage to Trader Joe's.  Fortunately, Dr. Greenapple told me not to fret and that it was probably just some after effects of the numerous exercises I completed on Thursday evening.  As much as I'd like to cheat, I've been sticking to the plan of lifting and doing abs regularly.  I've got a major weakness in my left hip/glute area and to get to that next level, I need to get it under control.  Pre-hab is the key for the next four years.

First Workout Back

Goal:
Light 5 Mile Progression Tempo on Feel

Actual:
2.5 miles warmup
5 mile Progression in 635, 630, 625, 605, 558 (6:18 ave)
2.2 miles cool down for 9.72 total in 1:09:02

The legs are finally starting to feel normal again, so I felt ambitious enough to actually start this light workout back today.  Granted, my times above were definitely not stellar, but I achieved all of the goals of the workout...which were really just to run on feel and to get that fire back into the legs.

In the warm January temperature of 62 degrees, I set foot out my door and straight onto the Sugar Creek Greenway.  Not much later, I unexpectedly ran into Meghan Fillnow and we were able to enjoy a mile of conversation before she peeled off for the Dowd.  I continued to make my way to meet Eric halfway in Freedom Park. We stopped to stretch and take a bio break before embarking on what could very well have been a disastrous workout.  Alas, it wasn't disastrous; instead, the workout was quite lovely.

My legs felt surprisingly fresh from the marathon followed by two weeks of minimal mileage.  Eric and I chatted away, letting our bodies do the work effortlessly.  Conversation was easy and breathing wasn't an issue.  In fact, our conversation only slowed once we hit the fifth mile, which makes sense considering we  had finally dipped under a 6:00/min pace per mile.  Eric pulled away from me slightly in the final 300 meters, but I held my pace, perfectly content to maintain my ease of effort.  After all, it's just the first workout back.

With this workout complete, my motivation, held strong by the culmination of the Trials and my eagerness to run the Philly Marathon with three of my closest Charlotte friends, is higher than ever!  The Philly Marathon is very far away, and I have a lot of goals to accomplish in between now and then, but it's definitely still something to get fired up about.

Up next:  minuters on Friday!